Communication devices that are capable of operating on more than one communication network exist. There are cases where two communication networks supporting such a communication device can have different dialing plans, for example, one communication network may be a wide area system and require 10 digits for dialing. The other communication network may be a local network, such as used in an enterprise, and may require only 5 digits for dialing. It is also often true that when receiving calls from these disparate communication networks that the caller identification (caller ID) numbers received with an incoming call will reflect the dialing plan of the communication network where the call originated. Using the same example, calls from the wide area communication network may be accompanied by a 10 digit caller ID while calls from the local communication network can be 5 digits.
This can create various problems, for example, when trying to match names to an internal phone book with an entry for one network but using the caller ID from another network. Another issue arises when making or returning a call using a caller ID from one network, but due to a change in location, the second network is used to make the call. If the caller ID does not match the number of digits needed for dialing using the second network, the call can fail, for having too many digits and calling a wrong number or for having too few digits to complete the dial sequence. Furthermore, the user may prefer a particular caller ID regardless of the network used for placing the call.
Clearly a need exists for a method and apparatus for reformatting a caller identification when operating on a plurality of communication networks.